“CDH was my first fight, but not my last. Each time I am knocked down, I get back up, more determined and ready to work than before. From my experience, adversity doesn’t stop you unless you let it. I won’t.”

- Adam Hess

Adam Hess

College: Ohio Northern University - Fall, 2025

His CDH Story: I was born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. From the beginning, I was in a fight for my life. Doctors gave me a ten percent chance to live, but I made it. While I don’t remember the tubes, surgeries, or NICU alarms, that fight shaped everything that came next. CDH taught me that adversity doesn’t define the outcome. What matters is how you respond to it.

I underwent surgery one week after I was born. Though my surgeon had only performed one CDH surgery prior to mine, that still made him the most experienced physician available. While my surgery was successful, many families face far more difficult outcomes than mine. Many hospitals lack the right equipment and knowledge to treat CDH, resulting in countless preventable losses every year.

Raising awareness for CDH has always been a part of my life. Summers were spent attending picnics, camping trips, and baseball games with families of CDH children. As a preschooler, I helped my dad advocate for CDH awareness at his workplace, successfully fundraising for a CDH organization. In third grade, I nominated a CDH organization for a school fundraiser, presenting to my classmates about CDH and the importance of supporting CDH families. As a child, I understood just how crucial it is to raise awareness for this little-known but life-threatening condition. By sharing my story, I hope to educate others about CDH and its challenges. Raising public awareness can educate hospitals, allowing them to better prepare for and respond to CDH cases.

My most valued trait is my dogged persistence. CDH was my first fight, but not my last. Each time I am knocked down, I get back up, more determined and ready to work than before. From my experience, adversity doesn’t stop you unless you let it. I won’t.

Hobbies and Interests: Adam makes use of just about every minute of every day -- from an academic perspective he maintains a 3.97 GPA, is a National Honor Society Member, and works as a volunteer for the school district at their IT help desk and athletics department. Outside of school, he is an active Eagle Scout, community volunteer (completing over 225 hours of service during his high school career), and in his free time enjoys programming and coding, and building/rebuilding laptops and PCs.

Professional Aspirations: Adam will be studying public relations and marketing starting next year, and wants to use those skills to support the work of charities like the Fore Hadley Foundation.. in particular, with a particular interest and focus on fundraising for ECMO technology along with ensuring new CDH families have access to transparent education materials.

YOUR DONATIONS HAVE MADE THESE STORIES POSSIBLE